Listerine Cigarettes
Another case of an odd brand extension. In 1927, the manufacturer of Listerine debuted Listerine Cigarettes that were infused with the same antiseptic oils used in the mouthwash.
The company claimed that these cigarettes would not only "soothe the delicate membranes of mouth and throat," just like the mouthwash, but also that they would "kill 200,000,000 germs in fifteen seconds" and help smokers avoid colds.
As far as I can tell, Listerine Cigarettes remained on the market until the mid-1930s and then disappeared.
The company claimed that these cigarettes would not only "soothe the delicate membranes of mouth and throat," just like the mouthwash, but also that they would "kill 200,000,000 germs in fifteen seconds" and help smokers avoid colds.
As far as I can tell, Listerine Cigarettes remained on the market until the mid-1930s and then disappeared.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch - Dec 12, 1927
Tampa Tribune - Nov 8, 1930
Comments
I've tried the Listerine mouthwash only a few times but I know why it has always been snidely called "Blisterine." The stuff is horrid.
Posted by KDP on 06/19/21 at 09:15 AM
KDP, back in the day it was marketed as the SERIOUS mouthwash.
Posted by Dr. Fian on 06/19/21 at 10:02 AM
Further references here: https://archive.org/search.php?query=%22listerine%20cigarette%22&sin=TXT
Posted by Paul on 06/19/21 at 10:27 AM
Just skip the middleman and smoke thyme cigarettes; thyme oil is the main medicinal ingredient in Listerine.
Posted by Yudith on 06/19/21 at 11:08 AM
Yudith: I think you'll find that it's alcohol... All the "essential oils" and other hokum is just there to diguise the fact that you're basically gargling with vodka. Which does kill bacteria, so there is that.
As for the cigarettes, well... if they'd just stop smoking, I bet their breath would clear up within a week.
As for the cigarettes, well... if they'd just stop smoking, I bet their breath would clear up within a week.
Posted by Richard Bos on 06/26/21 at 10:06 AM
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Category: Health | Cures for the common cold | Smoking and Tobacco